


Traitors in Love

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff and Crack, I'm not on board with the Will of Fire, M/M, and it might show, but this is a happy story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-02 03:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13309683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A traitor dating a hero is now a thing. In fact, it has been a thing ever since Hashirama and Madara.





	1. The One without a Mask

**Author's Note:**

> So, a bit of a background before the actual story. Last summer I wrote a KakaObi-fic that had some GaiOro in it in my native tongue. Ever since then this idea has amused me greatly. This fic is going to be pretty KakaObi-centric but there will be other pairings, including GaiOro. Also, this work is meant to be lighthearted because I always wanted to see a happier ending to Naruto than what was provided.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story! Comments would make me really happy. <3

Obito had nothing against romantic gestures. A few of them were just fine every now and then and to be fair, Kakashi did have his moment. However, he didn't seem to be the type to bring flowers and chocolate home. The last time Obito had received anything that slightly resembled a gift had been the time when Kakashi had lost Jūbi while being out for a walk with her and his dogs. Back then he had brought a taser for Obito and it had been wrapped in pretty paper. Maybe there had been a singing apology card too, Obito couldn't tell for sure. He had put that behind him like many other things. After that incident Obito had made sure that his lovely pet had stayed away from Kakashi's mutts. Still, sometimes even the best amount of safety measures wasn't enough to prevent a disaster.

”So, how many bodies must be burned? Are there any witnesses?” addressing the problem right away seemed reasonable. 

”These aren't for you”, Kakashi assured cheerfully as he threw the rose bouquet and the box of chocolates to the nearest flat surface quite carelessly.

”Oh”, Obito said. This was good news. Probably. ”Who are they for?”

”Gai.”

”Oh?”

Suddenly Obito wasn't too impressed. 

”You worry too much”, Kakashi stated.

”Do I?”

”Yes. This isn't a rivalry thing.”

This was the second piece of good news already. Something was off, that was for sure. It wasn't like Obito had anything against eternal rivalry either. He just thought that it got really weird sometimes. 

Obito arched his brow.

”Spit it out, Bakashi.”

Whatever this was, wasn't going to be anything good. It was certain now. Three tacky elements were bound to cause a huge mess together. A combination of Gai, ridiculously overpriced chocolate and grossly pink roses sounded potentially dangerous, to say the least. 

”It's nothing. Gai is going on a date tomorrow and he asked for my help.”

”Why would anyone want dating advice from you?” Obito asked. ”No, really. Why? You never take me out on a date.”

”That's because you won't let me”, Kakashi pointed out. 

Fair enough.

”It doesn't still make any sense”, Obito stated. 

”Gai wanted advice precisely from someone who has been successful in seducing a powerful traitor. He's going to a date tonight”, Kakashi said and shrugged. ”I figured that I might as well equip him.”

”Oh, who have you seduced, Bakashi?” Obito couldn't help but to ask. He wasn't going to admit a thing. To Kakashi's credit, maybe equipping Gai wasn't a bad idea. It was easy to imagine the poor bastard giving his date a green jumpsuit.

Kakashi chuckled a bit and pulled his mask down before pressing a little gentle kiss on Obito's lips. It was probably an attempt to prove something. Maybe there was this silly feeling in Obito's stomach – the one which made him understand what people meant by saying that they had butterflies in their digestive system. 

Okay, perhaps Kakashi did know how to make his point clear. His lips were incredibly soft and the way he kissed was more than enough to define what a sweet moment was. 

When they pulled apart, Obito felt kind of lightheaded and there was a slight flush on his cheeks. It was stupid but maybe reacting like that was a part of being kind of untouchable. If it wasn't for Kakashi, Obito would've never known how a loving touch felt. For years he had cherished his ability to be practically intangible. He hadn't even considered the possibility that being held by someone could be something he liked or something he needed. Everything had been changed ever since the moment Kakashi had broken Obito's mask both literally and metaphorically. The thing about being no one was that people without a name or past didn't have former friends to beg them return, no matter what had happened. Nobodies had no people to forgive them.

Of course returning to Konoha wasn't something Obito was too fond of. He still hated the damn shinobi system which was built on some creepy-ass plantling's plan anyway. The idea of being loyal to the village once again was absurd. However, being loyal to Kakashi was another thing. Obito was willing to do that and maybe, just maybe, hope that some things would eventually change. At least to him it seemed like Kakashi had somehow managed to grow three surprisingly sane shinobis with enough motivation and skill to make an actual difference. Besides, it wasn't like nothing was going to be fixed. After the world end had gone wrong, Obito had simply chosen not to interfere with the world rebuilding process. 

Kakashi studied carefully Obito's expression like trying to read what was in his mind. It worked quite often and it was weird but then again, Kakashi wasn't that hard to read either. Once one shared their vision with someone, a certain amount of closeness was unavoidable. Was it a downside, Obito couldn't tell. Everything had been weird during last two years. Refining personal points of view was an odd thing to deal with.

”Maybe you're right”, Kakashi commented. His tone was thoughtful but he also was wearing a smile that indicated incoming bullshit. ”You had me fall for you first. I wouldn't mind trying to seduce you right now, though”, he said cheerfully.

Obito rolled his eyes. He wasn't still really sure how Kakashi the definition of uptight had ended up being the goofiest person in the world.

”By all means, give your best shot”, Obito mumbled. He didn't mind the nonsense but Kakashi didn't need to know that. Encouraging that man too much was always a bad idea, that's why one wanted to keep at least their tone dry.

Kakashi pulled Obito closer before giving him a new kiss. It wasn't exactly rough but it had a bit demanding undertone to it. When Kakashi pressed Obito against the wall, Obito couldn't prevent a sharp breath that was escaping from his lips. These kind of kisses were the ones he liked the most not only because they usually led to the bedroom, but because they also made him feel wanted. The truth was that Kakashi was absolutely gorgeous and that was a well-established fact. At least a good half of Konoha had had their eyes on him since way back but luckily for Obito, Kakashi either didn't care or notice. He always seemed to ignore all the subtle looks from people and to focus his own gaze either on Obito or one of those awful books of his. Usually it was the last one but it wasn't like Obito was going to complain more than was necessary. 

Which was a lot. 

Because those books were gross and made Kakashi believe in cheesy pickup lines. 

But that was beside the point. 

Obito just felt lucky to have Kakashi kissing him hard, making him to remember those damn butterflies once again. Their tongues tangled together as they both panted heavily enjoying the intimacy between them. Obito dragged his fingers down Kakashi's back lightly. At the same time he felt a rather shameless touch on his ass that sent shivers down his spine and made him moan just a little.

”So, how am I doing?” Kakashi asked when they pulled apart. There was the bullshit smile again. He already knew the answer and he also knew Obito too well. 

”Stop fishing compliments, Bakashi”, Obito pleaded. He wanted less talking, more kissing and other things. 

”Maa, I'm just asking for a genuine opinion”, Kakashi teased. Blushing was the worst possible response to this sort of stupidity but Obito still felt blood rushing to his cheeks. ”I mean, I can stop if you want”, Kakashi added which only made things worse. The level of unbelievable was so high that it took a while before Obito could even speak.

”What makes you think that should stop? Just shut up and do something actually useful.”

Kakashi seemed a rather pleased with himself. It was pretty typical. He seemed to be under the impression that being a prick was adorable. 

”But didn't you have somewhere to be at very soon?” Kakashi continued with the level of unbelievable he had just found fitting. 

Obito couldn't help but to groan. He did actually have somewhere to be at later that day but he wasn't exactly known for punctuality. Besides, when it came down to the activity for the day, being late was the actual plan.

”Now you're just ruining the mood”, Obito complained. Of course he had been expecting all kinds of consequences after the war but the way Konoha had been dealing with traitor had been pretty… there was no other word than stupid to describe it. Torture and execution would've been both fair enough but what Konoha was currently putting its former traitors through was just plain wrong. 

Kakashi chuckled as he pressed a tiny kiss on Obito's temple. It was kind of a heartwarming apology even though he probably wasn't too sorry for the unwanted reminder.

”Well, someone needs to responsible here”, Kakashi said then. ”Though I must admit I'm quite impressed with you. I mean, two years without any world end plans is quite something.”

”How can you be so sure about it?” Obito asked. If there was a world end plan part two, it wasn't his but then again, Kakashi was probably the only person to actually believe completely. He should've trusted Obito the least out of all people but then again, feelings were strange. Sometimes Obito entertained the possibility that maybe it was just the connection provided by shared vision that made him and Kakashi what they were. That would've explained a lot, like why Kakashi had decided that he wanted to share the rest of his life with someone like Obito. 

”If you had those plans, I'd be probably the first one to know”, Kakashi shrugged in response. ”You'd be babbling about your great plan ignoring every question and you'd probably get mad at me for not getting the part why it is so great.”

”If I had another plan, it'd be great”, Obito claimed.

”Sure.”

”No, seriously.”

Kakashi was wise enough not to say a thing anymore. Instead, he pulled Obito into yet another kiss, this time warm and gentle. 

Damn those butterflies. 

There had been plenty of times when Obito had thought that falling in love was a terrible mistake. It wasn't just a thought, it was a probability. He had been rogue ninja long enough to see the absolutely ugliest side to every relationshipt that included even the slightest amount of affection. Being stabbed in the back by someone held dear wasn't too uncommon and seeing a loved one dying had been basically the sheer essence of the shinobi lifestyle. However, the things were changing slowly but surely. After the war Konoha had been an oddly peaceful place. 

There had been also many dark moments when Obito had thought that the whole ordeal with personal feelings was just awful. He wasn't suited for those and he couldn't usually deal with them at all. Besides, what right did he have to feel any kind of happiness after all that he'd done? There were doubts and there was guilt. There was also still a small part in Obito that thought maybe he should've just gone all the way through to end the reality that was anything but fair. The fact that someone like him was allowed to live and have an adorable prick by his side was somewhat ironic. This was exactly why he had been so certain ending it all was the right thing to do. 

But despite all of his doubts, Obito found himself kissing Kakashi back. Their fingers intertwined as Kakashi kept kissing softly and carefully, holding him tight almost like reassuring that there were was some light left in this pitchblack hell. Of course reading minds without using a proper jutsu was impossible but Kakashi seemed to know what was on Obito's mind. He always did.

And in a blink of an eye the world didn't seem as awful as it truly was.


	2. The One to Save the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some HashiMada and world building! :) This chapter was kind of hard to write but I hope that it explains things a bit.
> 
> Comments would make me really happy again! <3 Also, thanks for leaving kudos! ^^

Several maps were laid out on the desk. This era was a strange one but it had one thing in common with the past: the shinobi system itself was still an utter failure. 

It was said that the best slaves were the ones who didn't know what they were. Clearing up the damage that years of obnoxious propaganda and overall corruption had done wasn't going to be easy. In fact, it would probably take generations before the world was going to be in a somewhat decent state but at least some mistakes were fixable. There were certain matters that needed to be taken care of before moving on. It was the only thing Madara and Hashirama could agree on for the first time in decades.

Hashirama was viewing a letter from Kumo with a rather concerned look on his face. He had always been such a solidary man in life and he was exactly that even in death. 

A world where everyone got what they wanted was not possible, it seemed. Trying to reach such a world was something that Madara would never regret. He wasn't the type to look back and wallow in his past sins unlike the whiny brat who was probably never going to give Madara his left eye back. It was yet to decide whether Madara was taking it back or not. He didn't need it now that The Eye of the Moon plan was left behind and he did have his right eye and he had been able to cancel some unfortunate casualties without sacrificing anything but a little bit of chakra. He had plenty, thanks to Edo Tensei yet to be released. 

Madara's thoughts were interrupted by a series of unsettling sounds coming from the below the window. It seemed that Jūbi was having fun with some people passing by. 

Hashirama sighed.

”To my defence, she's not my pet”, Madara said. He didn't like the creature either but Jūbi needed to be somewhere safe until Obito found a good place to keep it. Apparently, Jūbi didn't get along with dogs too well and of course Obito's partner had eight of them. Unfortunately, there were only three people who could actually prevent Jūbi from doing too much damage and the youngest of Uchihas had simply refused to take care of Jūbi after an incident he refused to talk about. Madara didn't mind too much, though. The creature had some fascinating qualities.

”I know that very well”, Hashirama assured. His tone was the most polite he could master which indicated that he wanted something to be done as soon as possible. ”It's good to keep an eye out for her.”

”But?” Madara arched his brow.

”I'm afraid she might scare people. If you could–”

”I'm not going to waste my chakra on something like that”, Madara deadpanned. ”This doesn't need to be an issue. Jūbi is pretty harmless considering her origins.”

”The civil council thinks that Jūbi is out of control”, Hashirama stated thoughtfully.

Madara snorted.

”The civil council?” he repeated. ”That senile crew shouldn't have be formed in the first place.”

”Do you think calling people senile is necessary?” Hashirama asked but it wasn't like he didn't agree on the matter. The civil council represented nothing but corruption and sheer pettiness. 

The idea behind Konoha's founding had been to make lives of mercenary clans a bit more bearable and to decrease the annual number of cruel, almost pointless deaths. It had been far from perfect but there had been hope for new generations. Madara and Hashirama had been almost certain that in the future things would be different – that the whole socio-economic system wouldn't lie on constant conflict and that everyone would be somewhat equal – that not only the feudal lords got to decide matters. The fact that all this time shinobies had been just focusing on petty struggle for power with each other was disappointing, to say the least. Things were far behind from what they should've been.

The new noise Jūbi made wasn't going to be anything good.

”I'll talk to Obito”, Madara decided out loud. He was certain that the biggest issue with Jūbi was the name. Of course the thing did resemble the real deal and in a sense she was what was left of Ten-Tails. It was basically nothing, just a bit of enchanted chakra compressed into a small frame. Yet she was also chaos incarnate. This seemed to upset most people in Konoha even though the worst Jūbi really could do was to cause only a decent amount of destruction. It probably wasn't capable to wipe out an entire village in a blink of an eye.

”Thank you.”

Jūbi wasn't the worst problem in Konoha but then again, people had a tendency to focus on pet peeves whenever it was possible. There was a very little hope for humanity or to be more precise, there was hardly any of it. If it wasn't for the fact that The Eye of the Moon plan had turned out the oldest scheme around, Madara wouldn't have bothered. He had lived already long enough to see how everything always fell apart one way or another. This reality was just an endless cycle of destroying and rebuilding. Some were lucky enough to be born under the cycle of rebuilding, the others not so much. The unluckiest ones were those who got somewhere in between. The best option left was to ensure that this time peace was going to last for more than it ever had. The task wasn't going to be an easy one.

”I'm afraid Kumo hasn't accepted some deals between the villages yet”, Hashirama said after a while. He was always careful with his words but Madara knew the man well enough to know the hint.

Kumo was accepting nothing.

”Well, what a disappointment”, Madara commented flatly.

”Madara”, Hashirama's voice was tired. ”Threats aren't the way to go and no one wants another war.”

”Kumo doesn't seem too concerned”, Madara pointed out. 

Hashirama smiled almost sadly.

”Tobirama used to think in a very similar way”, he said.

”I know what you're implying”, Madara kept his voice calm and collected. ”However, this kind of comparison hardly compliments either of us.”

”Both of you had a similar way of viewing the world”, Hashirama maintained. ”Both of you always knew how to stand your ground in both good and bad. I'm not saying this to insult. It's good to have people like that around but there must be also the ones who negotiate and right now it seems that a bit more patience with the other villages is needed.”

”Is it?”

”Konoha still has one jinchūriki – a rather powerful one that is”, Hashirama told. ”And also the remaining Uchiha clan.”

”Well, I already suggested extracting the other half of Kyūbi”, Madara stated. ”I can make sure the sad remains of my clan won't get in the way if you change your mind on this.”

Hashirama sighed deeply. He knew all too well that the remaining jinchūriki was indeed causing some unwanted tension between the villages. Sasuke Uchiha had seemed a rather reasonable young man at first sight but of course he had turned out to be yet another disappointment when the idea of getting rid of the remaining half of Kyūbi had been brought up. The only option he had left had been accepting the jinchūriki to live. After his natural death the remaining half would be set free. Meanwhile, it was up to Konoha to find a way to guarantee that this was going to be done in the future. It had turned out that such a task wasn't an easy one either.

”I'm not going to interfere with your family business”, Hashirama said finally. ”Right now you're hardly confronting them. Sealing the remains of Jūbi away is also something that doesn't seem to concern you.”

Madara decided not to comment. One could think that the remains of Ten-Tails served a purpose as a life insurance for the two Uchihas who were still alive but to be fair, no one knew the exact techinque to seal Jūbi away. The fact that the creature born out of Ten-Tails remains wasn't too dangerous made the effort seem pointless. It was true that the creature could be controlled by a sharingan but then again, there was nobody to bother with that. Madara couldn't really care either way, for this was something very trivial. 

Of course this was something that needed to be taken care of at some point. Uchiha clan was on the brink of extinction and the only guaranteed way to control the poorly named anomaly was via sharingan. Sadly for the controlling plans, it seemed that the two remaining Uchihas didn't seem too tempted to save the clan. Both of them had ended up dating their childhood rivals who were both also male. They seemed to count on that there were some Uchiha bastards still around or they just didn't care about the clan.

This era was indeed a strange one. It appeared that nowadays the clans didn't bother with keeping their bloodlines pure anymore. There were no more restrictions between clans nor the pressure to marry one's first cousin which was a healthy change. The social stigma around male couples seemed to be gone, though dating a traitor was surely still a taboo. Nowadays in the eyes of public, there was nothing worse than acknowledging that the people who were considered the lowest did have a point. Years of lies fed to the world had done their job well. The weird part should've been that there wasn't a single shinobi who didn't know what the whole system was based on. However, it wasn't too surprising that people were too used to the old system. That was why so many were ready to ignore all the facts and let an ancient, now ruined, scheme still decide how the entire society worked.

”I trust that you have a cohesive plan”, Madara said finally. He had told Hashirama already that this time they wouldn't leave this world before it was stable. That was also the one and only condition for this world to continue existing. When it came to this reality, Madara wasn't still convinced that it was worth of anything. However, he did feel some regret for falling into a lie and carrying out a plan that wasn't going to help anyone but an ageless, petty and selfish entity. The plan itself had caused much pain and it surely had made this world more volatile than it had already been. That's why Madara felt somewhat responsible personally. He wasn't going to owe this world anything.

”Of course”, Hashirama promised. He probably didn't have the cohesive plan mentioned earlier but it was fine. Hashirama had been always the type to come up with something after making a promise. He was also someone who knew all too well what was the prize of being willingly blind. Therefore it was unlikely that Hashirama was any more eager than Madara to leave before there was a clear direction pointed for this unfair reality.

”Very well then.”

”You know, people aren't always that bad”, Hashirama stated. ”And they're capable of many things. If they were ready unite once, they can do it again for sure.”

”The only reason why the nations were united was a common threat”, Madara barely could stop rolling his eyes. ”Unless you're suggesting that we should create another threat for everyone, there isn't a solution for general ignorance.”

Hashirama sighed before smiling. He knew better not to push it too far. Instead, there was a soft touch placed on Madara's palm. This was something that Hashirama would've never considered doing in the past but his duties with Senju clan were already fulfilled a lifetime ago. 

”I'd like to think that this world has still hope”, Hashirama said.”And it shouldn't be belittled”, he was still smiling. Maybe he was as right as wrong he was. Everyone viewed the world in their own way which made every point of view justified. The pattern created a sense of individuality which was always going to cause conflict. However, as long as Hashirama kept his part of the deal, Madara was willing to ignore the fact and ensure that his mistakes weren't repeated again. 

Another awful noise disrupting the moment. For a life insurance, Jūbi was pretty entertaining. 

At least this awful world had some things silly enough to make even the most fed up soul smile a bit.


	3. The One Who Saw More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SasuNaru time, yay! Also, is that a sign of a plot that I see?

”Man, I'm hungry!” Naruto complained. ”We've been walking forever.”

It wasn't really a surprise that he proceeded to talk about ramen after such a statement. Some things just didn't change. Ramen Ichiraku was still in Konoha and it was Naruto's favorite place after all this time. In fact, many things had stayed the same. The dope himself was a way too loud and cheerful and his smile was so bright it outshined the sun. There had been many moments when Sasuke had considered all of this extremely annoying but now something in him was different. He had seen enough darkness to appreciate light, no matter how obnoxious it was.

The rambling went on and on. As usual, food excited Naruto greatly. His customer loyalty was beyond ridiculous and no one should have been that hyped up about a new item on the menu. Sasuke couldn't tell why he was listening but he found himself paying attention. Perhaps he was really starting to give a fuck or two. It was possible if not probable.

”You're coming with me, right?” Naruto asked after being done explaining how rotten bamboo was still kind of suspicious.

”Later,” Sasuke responded. He knew that Naruto was more than willing to visit Ichiraku twice a day. The first time would be right after arriving in Konoha, the second time would be after Sasuke was done with his stupid obligations.

”We should ask Sakura and Kakashi-sensei to come with us,” Naruto said. ”It's been forever since we last saw them.”

”Sure,” Sasuke said. He was pretty certain that it hadn't been forever. However, Sakura had been busy with her new job at the clinic. Her name had become well respected amongst the medics and her skills were needed now that Tsunade herself was retired. Kakashi had also been busy with his life. According to his own words, he was keeping an eye out for trouble which probably meant that he was trying to prevent Obito from doing something stupid or radical. It was more like a fulltime job than just an easy task.

No one seemed to understand why Kakashi and Obito were so inseparable. Of course, it was said that darkness needed light and light needed darkness but Kakashi and Obito were more like darkness and abyss. However, Sasuke wasn't going to judge his former teacher. Kakashi seemed happier than ever in his own weird way. His smiles were genuine nowadays. They lacked the previous forcedness and that was a good enough reason for Sasuke not to think about revenge anymore. He knew what it was like to have someone so close that a sheer thought of not having them around was painful.

Konoha was barely recognizable. It had been entirely rebuilt a few years ago and it had surely grown. People from other villages were moving to Konoha now that leaving one's original village wasn't considered a crime anymore. Things were changing slowly but surely. Was it enough? Only time could tell.

Sasuke wasn't still sure what he felt every time he saw the gates of Konoha from a distance. The hate he had had for the village hadn't disappeared but neither had the joy of being back at home. The mixture of conflicting emotions was odd and confusing. It made one feel clueless.

”Konoha is everyone, not just some random people deciding for everybody else, you know,” Naruto's tone was suddenly serious. He had always been good at reading people, so he always noticed the small things, even the tiniest of them.

”I know.”

”Do you?”

It wasn't an accusation, it was a sincere question filled with concern. Sasuke didn't have an answer. Konoha was his home and nothing could change that but another fact was that the conflict between Uchiha clan and other clans was older than Konoha itself. The only reason why Sasuke was allowed to live his life like he had never left was that the current power structure was really weird, to say the least.

Eventually Sasuke just shrugged. He wasn't sure was he ever going to forgive Konoha for convincing his brother that the only way to protect the village was to kill the entire Uchiha clan. Sure, the decision had been Itachi's own but then again, he had been fourteen and purposefully isolated from the clan by Danzō. Given the fact that the clan had been ostracized for decades, it was easy to see why Itachi had ended up doing what he did. Even some Uchiha clan members had thought that their blood was cursed while a common belief had been that Konoha had always been this progressive place and a fine example for other shinobi villages. The village elders had been always damn good liars if nothing else.

”Personal feelings hardly matter,” Sasuke said eventually. He didn't believe in karma. The world was a shitty place and it wasn't going to care about injustice. It just never would.

”They matter to me,” Naruto pointed out. He had dragged Sasuke back to Konoha because leaving a village had been a crime before and he hadn't been too sorry about it at first. Now that the policy against leaving wasn't so strict, many shinobis had left villages that they had originally served and there was really no excuse to make people stay. ”You're not happy.”

Sasuke sighed. He had been expecting this conversation for some time but he wasn't still too eager to talk about his feelings. They were hard to define and he hadn't known what he really wanted ever since the moment he had learned the truth about Itachi.

”I'm not leaving Konoha”, Sasuke told. After all, Naruto was still serious about becoming hokage one day and he wasn't someone Sasuke wanted to leave behind. Not anymore, not ever again.

The fact was that it was easier to make a difference from inside the system than from the outside and someone needed to be the driving force for a change. Konoha had put its faith in Naruto and the knucklehead seemed to have some capability to handle the situation and he had practically begged Sasuke to be there his side to help. Missing an opportunity like that would've been stupid when the goal was to make sure that no one had to go through hell because of Konoha and the failed system.

”It's not about that,” Naruto said. His expression lacked the usual cheerfulness. Instead, it was wistful, almost pained.

”There's no need for worry,” Sasuke reassured. He could make a guess what the whole sudden unease was all about. Seeing someone close suffering was always hard and there was no point denying some feelings. What Konoha had done had been wrong and Sasuke wasn't going to accept the village to repeat old mistakes. There would be always a part of him that just couldn't let go of it didn't need to define the future. Actually, it didn't need to refine anything more than what was essential.

”You're moping.”

Sasuke shrugged again. Maybe he wasn't too happy to go on C-rank missions to prove himself to the village again and the fact that now Naruto was practically babysitting him was also annoying. Something like that was nothing but expected but that didn't reduce the amount of frustration. It wasn't like Sasuke really needed acknowledgment from Konoha. It was just that he needed to gain some trust back for Naruto's sake. Not even he could become hokage if people thought that he was sharing his life with an irremediable criminal without any intentions not to destroy Konoha. Some people were just too stubborn to see how people around them affected their reputation.

The rest of the walk was pretty silent which wasn't anything too unusual. Words weren't always needed, especially not when one could tell what the other was thinking just by looking at them. Knowing someone so well was kind of a blessing even though there was mutual responsibility for one another. 

Actually, Sasuke's head kind of hurt whenever he just thought about how much Naruto still needed someone to be level-headed on behalf of him.

Naruto was the hopeless idiot he had always been.

On the other hand, there was also something new about him. It wasn't maturing because he was still the dope he just wouldn't stop being. He had been always able to feel for other people, so it wasn't like he had developed that feature just lately. Maybe it was just new kind of understanding or depth. Either way, it seemed that he had been regretting the way he had brought Sasuke back to Konoha if not the act itself. The guilt was still unnecessary. In the end, returning had been Sasuke own choice and he had come to realize how lucky one with an unyielding friend was. Of course, all insisting had been annoying and maybe it had been a bit selfish but how could one even be mad at someone trying to save their life? Considering everything that had happened, things weren't looking too bad. Perhaps there would be a day when Sasuke would not feel that ache in his chest every time he saw the gates of Konoha. He'd be able to look back and see that the village he once knew was gone and replaced with something better. Achieving peace wasn't going to be easy but it was still worth trying.

”Well, home sweet home,” Sasuke commented when the destination was finally reached. His tone didn't imply a thing. It was important not to sound too salty. Konoha was still well guarded and the ANBU members standing nearby didn't really need to know that an Uchiha was actually mocking the village. Yet there was some satisfaction in knowing that at least one person could get the slight hint.

”Yeah, totally,” Naruto agreed. His smile was big and his tone was genuine but maybe there was some acknowledgment in his eyes. It was hard to tell. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't excited for real. It was time for a meal in Ichiraku, after all.

They gained many gazes as they walked the streets. Most of them were sent to Naruto's general direction but some stares lingered on Sasuke's skin. Sasuke had never been the type to mind too much about the way other people viewed him but he had always been an observer. He did register the way people were looking.

It was interesting to see how the former fear had been replaced with some sort of curiosity. More than that, Naruto was receiving many admiring looks and that was something to be happy for. This was what he had yearned for and this was something that he deserved, though lately even that had been a bit different.

”You seem quiet,” Sasuke noted. He wasn't really asking a question. It was more like giving an opportunity to open up.

”It's nothing, really,” Naruto hesitated for a moment.

Sasuke arched his eyebrow. He didn't believe in sugarcoating things and neither did Naruto who did it anyway whenever he was heavily uncertain about his feelings.

”Fine.”

”It's just – man, I don't know,” Naruto stammered. ”All everyone wants is peace and now we have it but sometimes it just seems so… fragile.”

Sasuke nodded. He knew exactly what Naruto meant. Peace had been achieved in a very short period of time and the only reason why it hadn't been shattered was the weird balance of terror and nobody knew how long it was going to last. A rather heavy burden was placed on Naruto shoulders now that he had become some sort of icon for peace.

Sasuke considered his next words carefully. He wasn't going to be the one to tell Naruto not to worry because they both knew that a healthy amount of concern was needed right now. However, it was clear only one person in this world could decide the fate of everyone else. Being symbol for hope surely had its downsides.

”Peace is going to last,” Sasuke promised. ”We are going to make sure it does,” he added.

Naruto's smile wasn't as bright as usual but it was genuine.

”Totally,” he said. ”Who do you mean by us?” he suddenly realized that it wasn't specified.

Sasuke didn't answer. He hadn't been sure about it ever because, to be honest, he wasn't really a team player. However, there were three people who he had always trusted: Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. Maybe _us_ included just them or maybe it included also some like-minded individuals. 

They finally reached the street where their ways would part.

”Well, I catch you later then,” Sasuke said. To be honest, Ichiraku seemed a way more tempting than the necessary evil ahead. Konoha made Sasuke's head hurt more often than it did not.

”Yeah, have fun,” Naruto smirked because he was still a little shit.

”Dope,” Sasuke commented as he poked Naruto's forehead for goodbye. The gesture was a small reminder that once everything had been nice and simple. Patriotic views and the village elders had ruined many fond memories but some of them just were powerful enough to rise above that.

Besides, maybe Itachi would've been happy to see that everything had turned out to be kind of alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments make me always happy! <3 
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://cyabae.tumblr.com/) if you want.


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